New Law Grants Equal Military Rights to Ukraine’s Former Convict Soldiers

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a new law on Tuesday, Aug. 4, granting former convicts serving under military contract equal rights to other military personnel, including annual and medical leave.According to the bill’s record on Ukraine’s parliament website, the Verkhovna Rada, draft law No. 15225 was registered on May 11 and passed by parliament on July 14 with 309 votes in favor, before being signed as Law No. 4931-IX.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“This law eliminates injustice against the military, who, after parole, stood up for Ukraine,” said Deputy Defense Minister Liubov Halan in a statement on the ministry’s website.What the new rights coverUnder the law, service members released on parole to serve under contract will be entitled to 15 days of paid annual leave after at least one year of service, along with financial assistance for health-related recovery.Leave may be split into shorter periods, though at least one stretch must last 10 consecutive days unless the service member opts otherwise.An additional leave allowance of up to 10 days will be available for family or other valid reasons.Medical leave, granted on the recommendation of a military medical commission, may now be taken at a service member’s place of residence rather than only at a medical facility or duty station, depending on the commander’s decision, according to Mezha.Those returning from Russian captivity will be able to request 90 days of additional leave without dividing it into parts, and women in this category will be guaranteed maternity leave. Other Topics of Interest From Licensing to the First Ukrainian-Made Patriot Missile: The Road Ukraine Must Travel Ukraine’s success depends not only on manufacturing Patriot missiles, but also on leveraging the partnership to strengthen its own missile engineering capabilities for decades to come. Transfers and contract termsThe law also changes how the military personnel can move between units.After a year of service in specialized units, transfers to non-specialized units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be allowed.Soldiers found fit only for support roles because of an injury or illness tied to their service can request a transfer to such units regardless of how long they have served.Support roles include logistics, communications, medical service, recruitment or social support.The legislation also broadens the grounds for ending a contract and discharging the military personnel, including reaching maximum service age, being ruled unfit by a medical commission, receiving a disability determination linked to service, release from captivity, pregnancy or childcare responsibilities for women, a court conviction taking legal effect, or the conclusion of martial law and demobilization.Addressing the legal gray areaUkraine has allowed prisoners to volunteer for military service since May 2024, in exchange for eventual amnesty. This policy has opened up a significant pool of manpower as the country faced mounting frontline personnel needs.However, convicts serving time for serious crimes – such as murder or rape – remain ineligible.Former prisoners serving in specialized units or integrated into regular ranks have since taken on a substantial share of frontline duty amid Ukraine’s broader manpower shortages, even though their legal status and entitlements had remained largely undefined until now.“This is an important step to ensure that the rights of servicemen are fair and understandable,” Halan said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.